1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to apparatus used in connection with receiving pay television signals.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the rapidly expanding field of pay television, reception of the signal by a subscriber requires an external antenna together with means for converting the signal to a frequency which can be received by the television receiver of the subscriber. This is a process referred to as "down conversion" of the signal received by the external antenna.
In existing arrangement, a down converter is mounted exteriorly of a structure in which the television receiver of the subscriber is located and it is connected to an external antenna. This arrangement has proved unsatisfactory in certain respects. It requires separate installation of a large and sometimes unwieldy external antenna, and installation and connection thereto of a separate down converter element. Prior attempts at providing a compact combination of an antenna and down converter have proved unsatisfactory for a number of reasons. Primarily, the unfeasibility of such arrangements lies in the fact that a significant amount of antenna gain would be lost by replacing a large external antenna with a small, circuit board mounted antenna.
Thus, there has been a felt but unfulfilled need for a compact antenna system mountable externally of a structure housing a television receiver in connection with pay television which does not degrade the signal provided to the television receiver of the viewer and which is economically feasible.